


The Moon

by Fieryflamess



Series: Julian's Route [14]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: M/M, possible trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26395798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fieryflamess/pseuds/Fieryflamess
Summary: Ryuhiko is a student of the magical arts living in Vesuvia. Or he used to be. If only the world wasn't turning to ash around him.
Relationships: Apprentice/Julian Devorak
Series: Julian's Route [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877557
Kudos: 2





	The Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This work is kind of disturbing in a few ways: burning to death, nightmare sequences, the plague. So be careful going forward.

### Dream Within a Dream

Julian gawked at the Star in disbelief. "Could you, er, could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right--?"

"You're ready to face the Devil!" The Star repeated.

"Oh. I did hear you right."

"See, the Devil's up to all kinds of mischief. He's been making plans, sneaking around, making deals. All so he can break down the barrier between your realm and ours. If that happens, well, it won't be pretty. And it's up to you to stop it!"

"Us, specifically? Why?"

"I think you already know the answer, dontcha? Ryuhiko. You're the key to this. You're the only one who can stop the Devil. But you can't do it alone. You're going to need help." The Star looked meaningfully at Julian, and he straightened up. "It's up to you to accept that help."

"Well, then. I guess I can add 'saving the world' to my to-do list, huh? You can count on me, Ryu. Always."

"Your powers need developing. You've begun to tap into them a little, but you still need more practice. And the best place to practice is a personal gate! You know a bit about that, don't you?"

Ryuhiko thought back. Hadn't Asra mentioned something like that, once? "It's a place magicians can access, where they're closest to their own magic."

"Bingo! Being there will help you connect more to your own power and learn more about yourself. Of course, seeing as how it's so personal, I can't tell you how to find it. But if you look within yourself, why, you might realize that you already know the way!" She beamed confidently at him, and he found himself smiling back.

"Thank you for everything."

"Don't mention it! It's my pleasure, really. Take care of yourselves, okay? Don't be strangers!"

The door at the base of the lighthouse opened into a snowy forest. The ocean, the docked boat, and Scout were all missing. Shivering, Julian buttoned up his shirt and coat, fluffing his collar to block out the chill. Ryuhiko looked around uneasily, feeling a wave of sleepiness wash over him. Why did it have to be snowy and cold?

"Brrrr." Julian shivered. "I suppose this place doesn't need to follow the rules of geography, does it? Ah, but it's sort of nostalgic; reminds me of the months I spent in the South. There's nothing like running around with friends after a fresh snowfall."

Ryuhiko sidled up to Julian and tried to take in some warmth. "Yeah?"

"One time, we built a snow fort as big as the Vesuvian palace! With snowmen to serve as guards, of course." He chuckled, smiling wistfully at the pristine landscape. "Those were the days... Hmm...? Hey, what's that?" Julian pointed, and Ryuhiko turned around to look, wondering what got his attention.

"I don't see anything--?" A snowball hit him in the shoulder, scattering snow all over his back. He yelped and whipped around to see Julian doubled over with laughter.

"Ha, gotcha!"

"Julian!" Ryuhiko felt his shivering intensify.

"Sorry, not sorry! I couldn't resist. If you want to tell me off, well. Let's have a snowball fight. Winner takes all?"

From the look on his face, Ryuhiko could guess what kind of prize he was thinking of. But when another wave of exhaustion hit him, he shook his head. "I'd love to indulge you, but I'm not prepared to be taking on cold. Maybe some other time, Julian."

"I'll hold you to that, Ryu."

"You shouldn't. I should tell you this now. One of those side effects I mentioned is that I can't handle the cold. I get really sleepy, and I can't ever seem to get warm. You know, like a reptile."

"Oh? I can keep you warm, darling." Julian hoisted Ryuhiko up and held him close.

Ryuhiko clung to him, taking in his warmth. "I don't know if this is the help the Star said I should accept."

"Nonsense. You've helped me, so I'll help you any way I can. Now, about this gate of yours. Any leads?"

The Star said he needed to look within himself to find the way. When he called up his magic, it charged his body with a familiar feeling. Somewhere, in the distance, he could feel something resonating within him. As if his magic was calling to its own echo. That had to be it.

"I can feel it. That way." Ryuhiko pointed into the distance, towards a mountain range. He slipped back to the ground.

"Are you okay to take the lead?"

"I'll be alright."

"Then lead the way, Ryu. Personal gate, here we come!"

Their course decided, they set off. The wintry forest was almost silent, save for the sound of their footsteps crunching on the snow. It didn't feel like they'd been walking for long when they emerged on the shore of a frozen lake. The whorls and spikes of massive waves, frozen mid-break, broke the icy surface. The woods to either side were impassably dense. The only way forward was over the ice.

"Let's see... ah, here. Use this to test the ice before you step onto it." Julian handed him a fallen branch, straight and sturdy enough to lean on, and picked another for himself. "Stay close, Ryu. Careful now, slowly does it."

Gingerly, Ryuhiko stepped out onto the frozen surface, probing ahead of him with the stick. The ice was beautifully clear, and he could see a hint of deep blue through it, where the water was still liquid. He and Julian moved slowly, staying within arm's reach of each other. Movement below him caught his eye. A vast, dark shape slid languidly through the water, far below the ice they walked on. Though he watched it carefully, it never got closer. Gradually, it faded from view, diving to some unknown depth.

They walked for what felt like hours before they reached the far shore, just as night fell. It was a relief to Ryuhiko to set foot on solid ground again. Ahead of them, the mountains reached for the sky, snowy peaks lost in clouds. But when he let his magic spread out, he hesitated.

"I can't feel it anymore." He said through chattering teeth.

"Huh. That's weird." Julian said, pulling him close. "But it was coming from up ahead, yeah? If we keep going, we should find it sooner or later." He, once satisfied that Ryuhiko's shivering had slowed down, forged ahead, and Ryuhiko followed, through the trees and up the mountainside. "It must be somewhere up... ...here..."

He trailed off as they emerged from the treeline. A door stood by itself, surrounded by undisturbed snow. Ryuhiko gripped his hand and squeezed it.

"Huh, it... looks just like the door of your shop."

A brief surge of homesickness overtook Ryuhiko as he approached the door. It was the same wood as the door of his shop, and the air around it was warmer than their frigid surroundings. He could smell the herbs he always had hanging up to dry in the shop, with a whiff of smoke from the stove salamander. He stretched out a hand, resting it on the wood. It even felt the same. No, wait. Something smelled wrong. The door swung open, and chains whipped out from inside the gate, wrapping around his arms and legs.

"Ryuhiko!"

He caught a glimpse of Julian getting tangled up in the chains before they were both dragged into the open gateway. Everything went black.

Ryuhiko was a student of the magical arts. A resident of the city of Vesuvia. Tonight, when he left his shop, he didn't bother to lock the door behind him. There was no point. He drifted through the empty streets. Around him, the buildings slowly crumbled into dust and ash. Flakes of paint swirled in the air. The canals were full of red, red water. Shouldn't he be somewhere else...? No. He belonged there. There, where there was only the sound of the wind and distant weeping.

The world around Ryuhiko glitched as he walked. Gloom became blinding light, reflected off powdery white. Trees swayed in an imaginary wind before turning back into dusting buildings. One second, stone clicked with his every step. The next, snow crunched under him and at his side. When he looked, he was still walking through the street, alone. He knew it should be warm, but he was shivering and tired. The weeping had turned to laughter, joyful but creepy in the decaying city. He felt a rush of panic, then desperation mixed with a need to protect. Laughter shifted to pleading and shouting, his voice but no audible words as it fought against a shrill tone. Then nothing. Falling, darkness, cold, silence, pain, heat, fire, burning. Burning, burning, _burning_.

Flames licked at his clothing, scorching holes in it wherever they touched. The hairs on his arms caught, then the skin itself. The fire flicked over his vision, distorting the world further with heatwaves. Through it was a figure, face illuminated but somehow blurry. Dirty blond hair was the only thing he could make out before the pain was too much to bear. Ryuhiko dropped to his knees, watching the skin on his hands blacken and burn, peeling and flaking off. His tears evaporated before they even left his eyes. As much as he wanted to scream, he couldn't make a sound. It hurt, it hurt, _it hurt!_

All feeling vanished at once.

Ryuhiko picked himself up off the ground, blinking away the lingering flames. His skin was no longer burning, back to its original state. From the docks, he could see the Lazaret. It loomed dark in the distance, a monument to the city's failures. There was only one boat, moored at the pier. It was waiting to take him where he belonged. His feet carried him forward. A plague doctor stood in the bow, waiting for him.

...Who...who was that? The question rattled something loose in his head. A simple question. How did Ryuhiko get there? That was easy. He came from his shop. And before that? Where was he before that? Why couldn't he remember? He was in...he was...? The sense-memory surfaced slowly. A brisk, chilly breeze. Fresh snow crunching under his feet. Spindly dark trees. A snowy forest, somewhere far, far away. He wasn't in Vesuvia. And he wasn't alone.

The plague doctor froze, standing as still and silent as a statue in the boat. Then the body wiggled and writhed bonelessly under its clothes, dissolving into a swarm of red beetles. They skittered away, leaving the mask and dark coat in the boat. The oppressive cloud in his head lifted slightly.

 _Julian._ Of course! He knew who Julian was. Ryuhiko had to find him, the real him. They had to get out of there. Julian was somewhere ahead of him, over the water. He could feel it. There was nothing for it. He got in the boat and started rowing.

A thick fog rolled in, so dense and opaque that he could barely see his own hands in front of him. Trusting the muted pull tugging him onward, he rowed until the boat bumped up against something. An island? The moment he set foot on dry land, branches and roots seized his limbs, immobilizing him. Somehow, it felt...familiar? Julian stood in a circle of light, speaking to a misty figure with the head of a bird.

"Indecision... introspection... inaction. These will serve you forever." The Hanged Man said. His voice echoed as if it was coming from a great distance, the syllables warping and distorting. "You stand between realms, but there is only one road for you."

"Then it's not really a choice," Julian said.

...Huh?

"There's nothing left for me back there." He walked deeper into the misty forest, and the mangrove branches finally released Ryuhiko.

Panic seized him. He could think of nothing else. He ran after him, but the fog was so thick and damp that it felt almost sticky on his skin.

"Julian, wait!" He shouted.

He couldn't reach him. Ryuhiko stretched out a hand toward him as the fog closed around his back. Where did he go? Was that a glimpse of red hair, or just a figment of his imagination? He couldn't see Julian at all anymore, but he was just up ahead. He had to be. It had been minutes. Hours. Days? Where was Julian? Where was Ryuhiko?

That wasn't how it happened. ...Wasn't it? Ryuhiko slowed to a walk, then stopped, concentrating on that thought. Fighting the lethargy in his limbs and mind, he dragged forth a memory. He'd been there before. He saw Julian talking to the Hanged Man in that realm. But Julian didn't stay there. He chose to come back. He chose life. It wasn't right. It wasn't _real._

A breeze stirred Ryuhiko's clothes before a great gust of wind whipped around him, blowing away the fog. A familiar structure emerged in front of him. It stood on a lonely island, waiting oh so patiently for him. The gate was open; it wouldn't stop him. The lift to the dungeon, where Julian labored to find a cure, loomed over him. Ryuhiko could sense him down there. The real Julian. He needed to go deeper.

The door rattled open at the bottom of the shaft. When Ryuhiko stepped through, he felt a jolt, and for the first time since he opened his eyes at his shop, his mind felt clear. Dozens of rusty-red handprints lined the walls. Most were large enough to belong to adults, but lower down, they were small enough to be children's. Yet, when he looked closely, the details faded into a haze. He was dreaming. He'd been dreaming the whole time. But while that place was also a dream, it wasn't _his_ dream. It was Julian's.

The dungeon in Ryuhiko's memory was empty, with only abandoned tools and stains left behind. But now, bodies were piled in the corners, and the crumbling walls wept ichor. The office doors banged open and closed in a silent wind. Beetles swarmed over the walls, clicking mutinously.

"No, no no no, this isn't, this can't be... Why isn't it working?!" Julian huddled over a table, talking frantically to himself.

The person on the table coughed violently and struggled to sit up. "...Julian..." They were wearing Ryuhiko's clothes. His body. His face. His eyes, the sclera dyed crimson. But it wasn't him. It wasn't him.

Ryuhiko's voice died in his throat. No matter how hard he tried to scream, he couldn't get the words out. He rushed to Julian's side and tried to pull him away, but his hands passed harmlessly through him. Julian couldn't even see him.

"It's your fault. You...! _You_ let this happen." The fake said.

"Ryu, no, no, that's not... I didn't. Please, just lie back down, stay still. I'll fix this, I promise." Julian pleaded.

"You can't. You can't fix this, Julian." Beetles swarmed up the legs of the table and over Ryuhiko's nightmarish double, faster than Julian could swat them away.

"No! Get away, get _away_ from him--" But when Julian finally cleared them away, there was nothing left. Not even a body. "No, no no no, this can't be happening, not again--" From the shadows of the room, three familiar figures emerged, each infected with the plague.

"You should have been there for Ryuhiko. He died because of you!" Asra accused.

"I was fine without you. We were all fine without you!" Portia cried. "Mazelinka was right; you should never have come back!"

"Run, Doctor. Run from your mistakes, like you always do!" Nadia snapped.

They closed in around Julian, their accusing voices blending into a malicious cacophony. Clutching his head, Julian bolted from the main room and into the safety of his office. As he did, the dungeon twisted and blurred around them. Instead of an office, Ryuhiko saw a very familiar room. Wallpaper peeled from the walls in long, curling ribbons. The drapery fluttered without any wind. Portraits of Lucio crowded the walls, dozens of angles of him as a young man, healthy and triumphant. But when he looked closer, he saw that the painted figure was a wretched, withered husk, the frames charred at the edges.

Julian came to a halt at the side of the bed, wild-eyed and breathing hard. "You...!"

"What do you want, _Jules?_ Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" Lucio groused. "It's almost time... almost time for my party..."

 _"You can still save them, Doctor."_ A mysterious voice whispered from the dark corners of the room.

"I... I can?" Julian asked.

_"You know how to stop the plague. You could stop this, here and now. It would be so easy, wouldn't it? He's so weak, so delusional, so...pathetic. You know what you have to do."_

Ryuhiko tried to shout a warning, to pull Julian away, to do something, anything...! But this wasn't his nightmare. He couldn't do anything to stop Julian.

"I... I can't. I can't. He's helpless, and he..." Julian said.

_"He was a murderer before you met him. He will murder again if he lives. Think of your friends. Your loved ones. Your Ryuhiko."_

"Oh, Ryuhiko, I..." He paused. "...No. No, that's—that's wrong. Ryuhiko. Ryu would never want me to so this. He'd never say those things to me."

_"Wouldn't he?"_

Julian shook his head, wiping fiercely at his face. "No. Never. And neither would Pasha. Or Asra, or Nadia. None of them would say those things to me. I regret so many things. I've made so many mistakes. But I can grow. I can learn. I'm not the same man I was back then. And I'm _not_ a murderer." Julian took a step back from the bed, and finally, Ryuhiko's voice obeyed him.

"Julian!" Ryuhiko called.

Startled, Julian looked around. Their eyes met as the room disintegrated around them. When Ryuhiko's vision cleared, he was looking up at the ceiling of...his shop? He shook off his vertigo and sat up. It looked like his shop, but it couldn't be. Everything was cold, the jars and counters rimed with frost. But, most importantly, he was awake. Everything was solid, crisp, and _real._ Julian was next to him, slumped against the counter, groaning weakly.

"Julian?" Ryuhiko said almost hesitantly, shivering.

Julian's eyes flew open, and he bolted upright. "Ryu!" He lurched forward to cup Ryuhiko's cheeks in his hands, studying his face intensely. The relief in his face was nearly painful. "It... It's you; it's really you, you're here, you're...! You're...!" His voice broke on the last word. He was trembling all over, from more than just the cold.

Ryuhiko wrapped his arms around Julian's shoulders, pulling him close. With a choked gasp, Julian wrapped him in a hug so tight, Ryuhiko could feel the frantic rushing of his heart through his whole body. He buried his face against the doctor's shoulder, his solid—very much real—shoulder, and did his best not to break down.

"Ryuhiko, Ryu, you're safe, you're _safe_ \--" Julian crumpled against him, shaking.

Holding him tightly, Ryuhiko murmured gentle reassurances against his hair. "I'm safe. You're safe. It's okay, Julian, everything's going to be okay. It was only a dream. It wasn't real."

Shuddering, he lifted his head slightly. "You... you had them too? The nightmares?"

Ryuhiko nodded, running his fingers gently through his hair.

"Can I ask what you, uh... you don't have to tell me, but..."

He took a moment to decide whether or not to share, staring at his hand as phantom flames flickered over it. "I saw Vesuvia. Overtaken by the plague. It was just me in the streets, and..."

Now that he was awake, most of the nightmares had faded into a dreamy haze. He told him about his visions as though they were just a story, pushing through the most vivid parts quickly. When he finished, Julian wasn't trembling as much anymore. Even so, it took a moment longer before he began to speak.

"I dreamed... I dreamed about the storm."

The storm? Ryuhiko looked at him curiously.

"Ah, I never told you, did I? When Pasha and I were little, we shipwrecked in the storm of the century. We made it out alive. Washed up near Nevivon, and the rest is history."

Ryuhiko felt a brief pang of curiosity, but it wasn't really the time for questions. He could sense that Julian hadn't finished.

"But in the dream... the storm ripped Pasha out of my arms. I woke up alone on the beach. I was looking for her, looking everywhere, and I couldn't find her. Her cottage, abandoned. Everything overgrown, the roof falling in, nothing left. I went inside, and then...? Somehow, I was in the palace dungeon. I..."

Julian faltered, and Ryuhiko cupped his cheek gently. He took a moment—breathing deeply—before he continued.

"I... I thought I saw you, the real you, at the end."

"It was me."

He laughed shakily, wiping at his face. "Seems like that's becoming a running theme, doesn't it? How—how much did you see?"

"I saw everything in the dungeon... and Lucio's room. I'm so sorry, Julian. _Ilya._ I tried to break through, but..."

"...It's alright, Ryu. I broke through on my own, didn't I? There was a time when I wouldn't have been able to break free. You know, before I met you for the second time. Those things they said, those horrible things...? I know where they come from, Ryu. I told myself those same things so many times I started to believe them."

Ryuhiko smoothed his thumb over Julian's cheek, wiping away the tears. His smile was genuine, though it trembled at the corners.

"But I'm not the same man I was three years ago. I've changed. I really have. Thanks to you, Ryuhiko."

Ryuhiko leaned forward, resting their foreheads together, and Julian closed his eyes, bending close to him. They held each other, saying nothing more. Julian's hands and heart rate were steady when he finally stirred, mumbling something under his breath.

"Huh?" Ryuhiko hummed curiously.

"Thank you, Ryu. I, ah, I feel better. Do you?"

Ryuhiko felt drained, but he wasn't as shaky as when he first woke up. "I'm alright."

"Then we, um. We should probably figure out where we are." They climbed to their feet, looking around. "This... This isn't your gate, is it?"

"No. The gate we found on the mountain must have been a trap." Ryuhiko pressed up against Julian for warmth. The place had a strange, cold feeling that was almost familiar.

"What was that??" Julian startled at a sound. It came from the back room. "Stay close, Ryu."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Ryuhiko shivered. They approached the back room together, cautiously. There, on the table, was a single card.

"...Huh. Care to do the honors?"

Ryuhiko flipped the card over. "Death reversed." It was cold and distant, and all he could hear was a fading echo of some distant bell. It was the same energy as the shop itself. "We're in Death's realm."

"My, my, my." A voice said.

Ryuhiko jumped, looking around frantically. "Who's there?!"

"Show yourself!" Julian demanded.

"If you insist." The voice answered.

Ryuhiko whirled around to confront the stranger and flinched back in surprise. Valdemar stood in the open doorway. They stepped inside, and the door swung shut.

"You're both awake? And in possession of all your faculties? My little welcoming gift should have snapped your minds like twigs. Perhaps it needs further refinement." Valdemar seemed vaguely disappointed.

"Valdemar! What are _you_ doing here?!" Julian snarled.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You are in my realm, after all."

"Your realm? You're the Death Arcana?" Julian's shock seemed real, but to Ryuhiko's ear, it rang just a little hollow. Was he fishing for information?

"Don't be silly. If I were one of _them,_ I would never be able to leave. Well, I suppose it's not technically my realm. But Death can't do much of anything these days, so I've taken over."

"But if you're not an Arcana, then... what _are_ you?"

"Oh, good question. What do your cards tell you, magician?"

Ryuhiko was still holding the Death card in his hand. It whispered to him in a voice silvered with frost. The real Death Arcana sounded nothing like Valdemar, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were connected somehow.

"Death, upright, is about change. Transformation. Endings and beginnings. But reversed, it can mean resistance to change. Stagnation." Ryuhiko explained.

"Goodness, you say that like its a bad thing. Why would I ever want to change? Humans are so fragile. So very breakable. But I'm not. Not anymore."

Ryuhiko racked his brain, trying to recall if he'd ever heard of anything like that.

"Well? Any guesses?"

"I... don't know what you are."

"Disappointing, but not very surprising. Few people know anything about the process. _He's_ made sure of that."

"He...?" Julian questioned.

"The Devil, of course."

It sent a chill down Ryuhiko's spine. He remembered the Devil and Valdemar, standing side-by-side, in the palace garden.

"So it was the Devil who tricked us? And sent us here?" Julian lightly gripped Ryuhiko's shoulder.

"Did you only just figure that out?"

"Then you really are one of his servants."

"Don't be crass. We're _colleagues._ "

"And the other Courtiers working with you? Volta, Vlastomil, Vulgora? Are they 'colleagues' too?"

"Those fools might like to think they're on the same level as me... but no, oh no. It takes a long time to become this powerful, and none of _them_ have managed it."

"If you're so powerful, why does the Devil have you doing his dirty work? Is he afraid of us?"

"Afraid? Why ever would he be afraid? You can't possibly kill him. Not with your pathetic humanity intact. If you were like me..." Valdemar paused. Ryuhiko got the feeling that they'd said too much. "...I tire of this. I suppose I should wrap things up. I admit I'm curious. I've never killed anyone already separated from their body before."

Adrenaline and magic alike surged through Ryuhiko's veins, responding to Valdemar's threat. ...What was that? A voice?

"Are you planning to fight back? Please do. It's more fun that way."

"Ryuhiko, no! You can't fight them!" Julian pleaded.

"I have to try!" Ryuhiko asserted.

"I..."

A strange, buzzing rasp echoed through the shop. Was it coming from Valdemar? When Ryuhiko turned to look at them, he flinched in horror. Valdemar's body wavered uncertainly at the edges, overlaying a shape he couldn't even begin to understand. As though their human form was merely a veil, covering something. Something _other._ His mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. A sharp pain blossomed behind his eyes. Again, he heard that rasping. Was Valdemar laughing?

Julian gripped his arm, and he tore his eyes away from Valdemar with an effort. "Ryu, I believe in you. Do what you need to." Somehow, he mustered up a grin. "Kick their ass!"

Ryuhiko focused, pushing past the pain, and listened, searching for the voice he heard within him. The voice rang in his mind, suddenly loud and clear. It was _his_ voice, though it didn't speak in any words he understood. It was a whisper of salty air, a flash of the sun on the ocean, a promise of a faraway horizon, a breath of freedom.

The magic surged up through him, pouring down his arms and into his hands. When he looked at Valdemar again, a bright pain pushed through Ryuhiko's head, as though he were trying to look at the sun. An undulating mass twitched and murdered in front of him, their outline fluctuating unevenly. Their surface boiled, clusters of eyes and teeth and rib-bones emerging from within their mass, then dissolving back into it.

But Ryuhiko could see something else. The shadows of chains, densely wrapped around Valdemar's form. Valdemar reached one (or maybe more?) long, terrible, blade-like lin toward the two. Closer. Closer. Until they were close enough. He lashed out, grabbing hold of a chain. For a moment, it almost felt cold. Then it burned, white-hot agony searing up from his hand and into his body, driving all other thoughts from his mind.

Julian caught hold of him when he stumbled, holding him up. Abruptly, the agony lessened, and he could breathe past the stabbing pain in his chest. In the same moment, Julian doubled over, his expression twisting with an echo of Ryuhiko's own hurt. But he didn't let go. He was still holding on. A single link of the chain snapped. Valdemar went suddenly and totally motionless. Then they spasmed violently as some of their mass disintegrated, dissolving into nothing.

Ryuhiko realized, to his horror, that the chains were the only thing holding Valdemar together. Then the pain faded. Without another word, Valdemar fled, vanishing into thin air. Death's realm was silent for all of five seconds before Julian let out a triumphant yell.

"Ryu, that was amazing!" Julian kissed him and spun him around in a circle, but they both wobbled and stumbled, nearly falling. "...Oof, that took a lot out of both of us, I guess. But you did it! You made Valdemar turn tail and run! If they hadn't run, you would've kicked their ass for real!"

As much as Ryuhiko hated to rain on Julian's parade, he didn't think that was true. "We got lucky, Julian. If they'd stayed, it would've gone badly for us."

He sobered up for a moment, considering that possibility, then shrugged slightly. "But they didn't. They didn't, and we're both safe, thanks to-to...? That. Uh. What was that, anyways. For a moment, I thought I saw you grab something. Chains?"

"Yes. The same chains as the ones that pulled us into the fake gate." Ryuhiko could still feel a shadow of that searing heat on his hand. That oppressive, claustrophobic energy. It was the same as the Devil's. "I think those chains... are part of the Devil's power.

"And you broke one of the links."

Ryuhiko still didn't really know how he did it. He hadn't known he _could._ Julian opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"Hey... Uh, if you can break the Devil's chains...? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

He managed to nod. "This must be what the Star meant. It's how I can stop the Devil."


End file.
